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Book reviews for "Slomovitz,_Philip" sorted by average review score:

Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism
Published in Hardcover by Prentice Hall College Div (1900)
Authors: Philip Kotler, John Bowen, and James C. Makens
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wow!
The layout and format of this book was very easy to follow!

Great for Marketing Beginners
Kotler's Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism helps marketing beginners and people that are getting into the hospitality business. It demonstrates basic knowledge that can be applied to the business, great tool for working!

Excellent for students worldwide
As a lecturer in South Africa I found the inclusion of so many examples from MacDonalds and other international franchises useful to explain the examples to the class. As usual anything the Kotler writes is easy to put across to my students entering the hospitality industry. Well done!


Medical & Surgical Care for Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents (Topics in Down Syndrome)
Published in Paperback by Woodbine House (1995)
Authors: Don C. Van Dyke, Philip Mattheis, Susan Eberly, Janet Willians, and D. C. Dyke
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Vital information every parent should know
Children with Down Syndrome are at increased risk for many medical problems. As a parent, it is important to understand these risks, be able to recognize potential problems, and also become familiar with many of the medical specialists you will encounter even if your child is healthy. This book discusses all of the common medical problems you may be faced with in a way that can be understood by a parent. Armed with the information in this book, a parent will be able to make vital decisions regarding their child's health and cope more comfortably if medical care is required. Topics discussed include: heart disease, endocrine problems, skin conditions, gastrointestinal problems, and many others.

Every medical topic I wanted to know about!
I found this book in the library of my son's early intervention office. Everything I have encountered with him, I was able to find in the book. It even talked about the delay of the emergence of his primary teeth. I wish I had known of its existence sooner. A must have for parents, grandparents, doctors and other caregivers!

A must have for parents of Down Syndrome children
We purchased this book when our 2 day old son was in the hospital for heart problems and diagnosed with Down Syndrome. The book is full of important information for parents and doctors and is written in a language that parents can understand. In the past three years, we have used this book many times to answer questions, learn what to look for, and to train ourselves in how to handle certain medical conditions. Knowledge is power.


The medieval castle: life in a fortress in peace and war
Published in Unknown Binding by Barker ()
Author: Philip Warner
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Too good!
I loved this book! It describes the vastness of medieval life and castles, covering so much ground. Besides that, Warner has a wonderful way with words and gives his experienced opinion on many matters, and can't help but agree with him fully. As a writer of medieval fantasy, this book has helped me so much! I will keep it as a permanent reference while I continue exploring the mysteries of the medieval world and write down what I can't see for myself.

excellent worse on the castle and its purpose
Philip Warner was lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, England and is the author of a numerous of books.
In this work, he gives you the need for the Castle, why it came into being, how it developed. He show the strict structure of the Castle society - inside and out, the lives of the people running it and those serving in it, even down to what they are and worse. He even cover medieval recreation!!

He breathes live into the subject, giving a fresh new look instead of tired impressions.

Excellent work for people wish to see Castle life as it was or for Writers of Historical works.

Highly recommended.

Superior
This beautifully illustrated book explains how and why castles were built in the middle ages and why they were such a dominant influence on medieval life, especially in times of war. Philip Warner recreates a complete picture of daily life in a medieval castle: how peasants and nobles lived; how men fought in tournaments and trained for combat; how castles were sited, designed, managed, attacked and defended; and what the the people who lived in them ate, drank, and wore. This book will also go a long ways toward breaking up some of the preconceived notions that people have about castles. One learns that the castle was not primarily a refuge. The object of the castle wasn't to retreat from conflict, but to control it. The Medieval castle was a dynamic integral part of medieval society and Philip Warner does brilliant work in showing this. Whether you're a medieval history buff or just a curious layman read this book. It will take a little effort to find it, but it's worth the time.


Molecular Symmetry and Spectroscopy
Published in Hardcover by Academic Press (1979)
Authors: Philip R. Bunker and Per Jensen
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Enjoying Molecular Symmetry and Spectroscopy
This book authored by P. R. Bunker & P. Jensen is the second edition of the well known book on molecular spectroscopy by Phil Bunker and it is considerably larger than the first edition (probably 50% larger). I feel that anyone interested in theoretical molecular spectroscopy should have this book within easy reach. It is a very important addition to the textbooks by Herzberg and covers the entire field of theoretical molecular spectroscopy in a very lucid and clear manner. I particularly enjoyed the chapters devoted to develop the molecular Hamiltonian in detail and to show how successive approximations can be used in solving it. It makes you love spectroscopy. Indispensable.

THE book for Molecular Symmetry!
This book is THE place to learn the modern approach to symmetry in molecular spectroscopy. The clear presentation of the Molecular Symmetry Group and how it is to be used alone make this book an essential item for any molecular spectroscopist. This work, however, does much more than that - deriving the molecular Hamiltonian, the descriptions and symmetry properties of the basis sets used at various levels of approximation, the symmetry rules for interactions, transitions, etc. etc. Clearly presented this book is an enormously enhanced and expanded (by 50%) version of the first edition. There is no other work which covers this ground - and few if any works in this field that have the same breadth and clarity. My recommendation is: You can't do without it!

An essential book on the theory of molecular spectroscopy
This book on molecular spectroscopy should be on the bookshelf of every practicing molecular spectroscopist and every post graduate student working in molecular spectroscopy. It complements the classic books of Herzberg in that it gives a virtually complete account of all the theory required for the interpretation of gas phase molecular spectra. The writing is clear and the book covers the subject comprehensively. Bunker and Jensen have done a great job of making a complex subject accessible.


Mother Jones Speaks
Published in Paperback by Pathfinder Press (1983)
Authors: Philip S. Foner and Mary H. Jones
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An inspiring example for women--and men!
Read this book and you'll learn about the life of a heroic woman, but also about the bitter struggles working people fought in the US a hundred years ago. You won't get this history on the History Channel!
Pathfinder Press is dedicated to, among other things, publishing the speeches and writings of revolutionary figures like Mother Jones. So, in this book, you won't read some professor's interpretation of her, you'll read her own words. And what words she spoke! Her speeches and letters spring from the page full of passion and courage.
She went to where the miners were fighting and dying and stood up to the cops and the goons who tried to intimidate her. She was braver and bolder than most (male) labor leaders of her time, and in every way a superior human being to those who claim to "lead" the labor unions today.

Mother Jones: Link Hands in the Mighty Struggle
Coal miners and retirees are still dying of Black Lung disease without proper medical care or compensation, and Black Lung widows are once again marching on Washington. These are good reasons to read this inspiring volume, which captures the historic voice of the coal miners-Mother Jones. A woman of the working class, she took part in almost every major battle by coal miners from the 1890s through the 1920s. She declared her solidarity with all victims of class rule from New England to Japan and left the world with many famous dictums of the struggle: "Don't mourn, organize!" or "I'm not here to beg , I want to fight and take what belongs to us!" She joined social struggles like the fight against child labor. When the newspapers refused to cover a strike involving child textile workers because the mill owners held stock in the newspapers, Mother Jones declared: "Well, I've got stock in these little children and I'll arrange a little publicity." And she did. While the U.S. was waging war on Mexico, Mother Jones was meeting with Pancho Villa to promote working class solidarity. We are also reminded that the task she described is still our task today: "Never before in human history were men and women called upon to link hands in the mighty battle for the emancipation of the working class from the robbing class." Mother Jones proves that you can't count yourself or any one else out-Mother Jones didn't become an activist until she was in her fifties. This is the total book by and about Mother Jones, with valuable background material by Philip Foner, the noted historian.

Courage, honesty and inspiration
A wonderful collection: nearly 40 speeches by Mother Jones, the tireless champion of workers in struggle at the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th. Also includes articles by Jones written for labor and socialist papers of the time, press reports about her activities, and dozens of letters she wrote to other labor and socialist leaders.

Mother Jones traveled incessantly, giving speeches and organizing coal miners and copper miners, textile workers, construction workers. She exposed and decried the abuses of the capitalist system. She stood up to the richest employers, their cops, courts, the National Guard, the U.S. Congress and presidents. She championed workers framed-up and victimized in the course of many struggles-- including insurgent fighter from Mexico during its 1910 revolution.

Her courage, honesty and perseverance should be a better-known example for workers, farmers and young people today. She has lots of short, snappy observations I find useful to raise at work, to help get others thinking a bit. And I found her letters, which reflect her striving to promote the most uncompromising, militant and class-conscious wing of unions and the Socialist Party, especially interesting.


The New American Roget's College Thesaurus in Dictionary Form
Published in Paperback by Signet (1985)
Author: Philip D. Morehead
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The preferred first stop thesaurus
This very handy and useful thesaurus is one of my most valuable aids to the English language. It makes me write with more impact while steadily enhancing my command of words. Its the first step to making words work for you.

One of the most handy and user-friendly thesaurus
This is one of the most handy and user-friendly thesaurus that I've used. It helps make the occasionally irksome word hunts efficient and a delight. This is an excellent first reference point that usually suffices without the need for consulting a more elaborate thesaurus.

Warning: This reference book can be addictive once you discover its vocabulary-enchancing functionality and even its entertainment value.

Puts most others in the shade
This is easily the best pocket-sized thesaurus that I have seen, and I own more than a dozen thesauri, large and small. A more comprehensive thesaurus with excellent word lists (e.g. horse breeds, phobias, shades of red etc.) is The Concise Oxford Thesaurus (ISBN: 0198601263). However, for general writing, I think this one has the highest value-to-weight ratio.


Philip Jose Farmers Riverworld
Published in Paperback by Berkley Pub Group (1980)
Author: Philip Jose Farmer
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The Riverworld series and the Foundation series...
are the best of SF series.

Scattered across the years, I have bought two or three sets of Riverworld. Just thinking about the series - far from my home base in MInnesota - makes me want to read it again. Unfortunately, the series is now out of print.

Make the effort to find a copy of this series in either a used book store or a library. It WILL be worth it.

Tim Niles

Would make a better religion than Scientology
If the premise of this book does not grab you, the intelligently written stories will. This series is one of my all time favorites, even though I do not really enjoy Science Fiction. The Riverworld series takes you realisically through what could be the afterworld. Farmer manages to put historical figures in to realistic fictional stories and draw on how they would really react. If L Ron Hubbard can spawn a religion with Dianetics, why can't Farmer's Riverworld?

Thinking Man's SF- Innovative Idea in Science Fiction A++
After death, wake up on the banks of a giant river-along with virtually everyone who has ever lived! Incredible story of ordianry people and famous historical figures on a quest to find the source of the river and the mysterious "Ethicals" who control it all. Great interaction between historic figures of different eras. One of the Farmer books you must have in your library-along with the other 4 in this mind-boggling series. Will become one of your alltime favorites


Magnitude 8
Published in Paperback by University of California Press (1999)
Author: Philip L. Fradkin
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Enthralling, thoughtful, and sobering, but with a few warts
Fradkin travels the length of the San Andreas by car, by kayak, and on foot, describing its perils and its history. Into his story of the San Andreas he weaves parallel threads about earthquakes elsewhere, always playing up the public's denial of earthquake hazard.

As a seismologist, I found the book often irritating (right down to its title: there is no evidence that the San Andreas has ever suffered a magnitude 8 earthquake or that it ever will), and sometimes too dramatic, but in the end it left me with a feeling of chagrin. Fradkin put together a good, coherent story of the San Andreas' hazards, but to do so, he had to fight his way through arcane jargon. His comment that the scientists don't know how to communicate makes me squirm, but it is absolutely right.

Not only is this a must-read for anyone within 200 miles of the San Andreas, it should be required for all seismologists and emergency managers who ever have to talk to the public.

An Important Work
This is an important work; well researched and well written. It should be required reading for all public officials in California. More illustrations would have been useful. Highly recommended.

Creates a personal visceral feel for powerful earth force
Yesterday, August 17, I was sitting in Point Reyes, CA., home of author Phil Fradkin, directly overhanging the San Andreas fault. I was on page 121 of Magnitude 8, when suddenly the house began to move. It swayed back and forth like a tree hut in a gale for about 15 seconds. Yes, it was a minor 5.0 magnitude quake centered in nearby Bolinas. Powerful Writing!

Great book by an author who has put his heart and soul into internalizing the meaning of these mysterious earth processes.


Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-Day Saints in American Religion (Religion in America)
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (1995)
Author: Philip L. Barlow
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Essential for Understanding Contemporary Mormonism
This is an excellent book. Period. Philip Barlow uses the life and teachings of several prominent Church leaders to demonstrate the evolution of biblical thinking in the Mormon Church, and raises some important spectres along the way. Most significant to me was the powerful influence that the ultra-conservative Bruce R. McConkie has had on the contemporary LDS understanding of the bible. His personal bias toward the "literal bible" has been incorporated in both his "Mormon Doctrine" (considered by most faithful members to be THE LAST WORD on all doctrinal points), as well as his subtle influence in the brief synopsis at the first of each chapter in the most recent correlated Old and New Testaments used by the LDS church. Contrast that with the "open canon" of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and you have a case for bonafide doctrinal evolution in the Mormon Church. Barlow points out that it is was the very ability of Joseph Smith to question the bible in the first place that led him to found a new religion.

This books gets the highest recommendation I could possibly give to anyone genuinely interested in understanding the genesis and growth of Mormon thought. Barlow writes about complex things in a manner that is easily consumed by the lay reader, without sacrificing scholarship. This is an excellent book.

Absolutely Indispensable
This is one of the best books about Mormonism to appear in the last 20 or so years. Its real subject is not just the way LDS people regard the Bible, but the way the Mormons look at truth and the world. Non-Mormons should be fascinated by the LDS concept of an "open (scriptural) canon." The quiet arguments within the LDS church about how doctrine is revealed can shed illuminating light on the "culture wars" of the larger American ethos.

Excellent, objective Work
This is an excellently written and objective work. I loved it and found it to be very scholary.


Nonlinear Oscillations, Dynamical Systems, and Bifurcations of Vector Fields
Published in Hardcover by Springer Verlag (20 February, 1997)
Authors: John Guckenheimer, Philip Holmes, F. John, and Jerrold E. Marsden
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Will never collect dust....
This book has been a continuing source of information and guidance for 18 years now. Students and researchers in many different fields have used this book due to its breadth and detail of coverage. The book does require a fairly advanced mathematical background, but the authors do include a glossary for the reader lacking this.

Chapter one is an overview of differential equations and dynamical systems. All the concepts needed for a study of such systems are discussed in great detail and also very informally, stressing instead the understanding of the concepts, and not merely their definition. Some of the proofs of the main results, such as the Hartman-Grobman and the stable manifold theorems, are omitted however.

This is followed in Chapter 2 by a very intuitive discussion of the van der Pols equation, Duffings equation, the Lorenz equations, and the bouncing ball. Numerical calculations are effectively employed to illustrate some of the main properties of the systems modeled by these equations.

A taste of bifurcation theory follows in Chapter 3. Center manifolds are defined and many examples are given, but the proof of the center manifold theorem is omitted unfortunately. Normal forms and Hopf bifurcations are treated in detail.

Averaging methods are discussed in Chapter 4, with part of the averaging theorem proved using a version of Gronwall's lemma. Several interesting examples of averaging are given, along with a discussion of to what extent the bifurcation properties of the averaged equations carry over to the original equations. Most importantly, this chapter discusses the Melnikov function, so very important in the study of small perturbations of dynamical systems with a hyperbolic fixed point. A full proof that simple zeros of the Melnikov function imply the transversal intersection of the stable and unstable manifolds is given.

Chapter 5 moves on to results of a more purely mathematical nature, where symbolic dynamics and the Smale horseshoe map are discussed. The proofs of the stable manifold theorem and the Palis lambda lemma are, however, omitted. Markov partitions and the shadowing lemma are discussed also but the latter is not proven. The authors do however give a proof of the Smale-Birkhoff homoclinic theorem. A purely mathematical overview of attractors is given along with measure-theoretic (ergodic) properties of dynamical systems.

The (local) bifurcation theory of Chapter 3 is extended to global bifurcations in the next chapter. A very detailed discussion of rotation numbers is given but the KAM theory is only briefly mentioned. The main emphasis is on 1-dimensional maps, the Lorentz system, and Silnikov theory. The authors give a very detailed treatment of wild hyperbolic sets.

The book ends with a discussion of bifurcations from equilibrium points that have multiple degeneracies. The discussion is more motivated from a physical standpont than the last few chapters. But some interesting mathematical constructions are employed, namely the role of k-jets, which have fascinating connections with algebraic goemetry, via the "blowing-up" techniques.

The concepts in the book have proven to have enduring value in the study of dynamical systems, and this book will no doubt continue to serve students and researchers in the years to come.

Background
Guckenheimer is one of my favourite book in nonlinear science. Another absolute reference. This books deserved to be milestone in nonlinear dynamics.

Changed the Nature of Science As We Know It.
This book has clearly withstood the test of time in over 15 years of continuous publication. On my bookcase, it stands among my most treasured and well-worn classics of fluid mechanics and differential equations--Hirsch and Smale, Birkhoff and Rota, Chandrasekhar, Bachelor, Lamb, Landau and Lifschitz... It changed many of the unquestioned assumptions of many fields besides my own. It redefined the terms of many scientific debates. And, it changed my life.

I obtained Guckenheimer and Holmes' classic when it first came out in 1983. It was so clear, concise and intellectually engaging that it inspired me to wonder whether the system of equations I was studying for my Ph.D. research at the time--the governing equations of thermal convection at infinite Prandtl number (which govern plate tectonics in the earth's mantle)--might have a chaotic solution. Guckenheimer and Holmes outlined a clear methodology to find out the answer.

My advisor at the University of Chicago thought not. Only steady solutions could be admitted in the absence of external forcing due to the lack of momentum transfer--this belief was widely held at the time, despite certain oscillatory solutions found by Fritz Busse (then at UCLA) and chaotic solutions found in certain limiting cases by Andrew Fowler at Oxford.

In despair, I left my studies at Chicago to work as a Unix sysadmin at my undergraduate alma mater --Cornell, where (unbeknownst to me when I took the job) John Guckenheimer had just relocated from UCSC. Delighted to find him there, I sat in on his courses. Later, with his help, I wrote a proposal to NASA to support the completion of my thesis--with him and Donald Turcotte serving as my advisors.

The 3-year fellowship was approved, and during this time I demonstrated and published that thermal convection at infinite Prandtl number--a condition that pervades many planetary interiors including our own--is indeed chaotic in the absence of external forcing.

Prior to this, planetary convection codes primarily looked for steady state solutions. Since, numerical analysts in the field have upgraded to time-dependent models. The source of chaos at infinite Prandtle number I identified--the heat advection term--is now widely accepted as the source of what is now called "Thermal Turbulence" in planetary interiors.

The defense at Chicago was quite an event. Since my new advisors were flown in from Ithaca, you might say my thesis--The Nonlinear Dynamics of Thermal Convection at Infinite Prandtl Number--passed with flying colors. Someone at Chicago might disagree, but his opinion is irrelevant.

Demonstrating the many possible solutions to a single set of equations and showing how the choice of solution depends very sensitively on the rather poorly-constrained initial conditions of the earth--does render mantle modeling itself rather superfluous and indeed, scientifically suspect. However, many important professors who stayed in the field nonetheless continue to run their time-dependent mantle convection codes, and never cease to wonder at the fact that they all get different results. It's rather amusing, really.

When all that too has passed away, the truths so beautifully put forth in Guckenheimer and Holmes will remain. Like I said, it's a classic. Furthermore, being number 42 in its series, it's got to be the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything. Was for me, anyway.


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